Soccer Injury – Prevention & Treatment

What you should know about soccer injury

Whether or not you actually play the sport, it is impossible for you to not know about soccer. If not the, it is one of the most internationally charged sports out there. For various people across the world, soccer is not just a game, but a lifestyle. Not only is it one of the oldest games in history, but it also has a greatly passionate following. Much of the younger part of the world’s population follows the sport with great interest. Due to many factors, a soccer injury happens more frequently than we think.

Soccer is among the largest group team sports in Canada, with a large youth following. It is played in schools and universities and a large majority of Canada’s youth takes part. It is played by both male and female students. Whether it is played competitively, or just for fun, soccer continues to grow as a sport in the country.

As a very active and stamina-based sport, soccer takes a great toll on the body. In a study conducted on the youth of Canada, it was shown that about 20% of all sports-related emergency visits were due to a soccer injury. Oftentimes, it is the fact that people do not visit a physician right after sustaining an injury that makes it worse.

Let us take the case of young Jonah for example. 16-year-old Jonah is the captain of his soccer team at his high school. With a real passion for the sport, Jonah trains rigorously, hoping to play internationally one day. After a normal day of training, however, Jonah started feeling very fatigued. He has often felt tired after a game, but it felt different this time like it was wearing him down. After a few more sessions, it became apparent that something was truly amiss. He seemed unable to perform and found that his knees had started to hurt unusually more.

When the pain did not subside even after a few days’ rests, his parents took him to a physician to get him checked. It turned out that Jonah was a hair’s breadth away from an ACL tear. An ACL tear, short for Anterior Cruciate Ligament, occurs in the knee. A quarter of soccer injury is related to the knee. An ACL tear occurs due to overuse and can cause excruciating pain. In the worst cases, it can lead to a player never being able to play as well again.

What are the types of soccer injury?

A soccer injury is both acute and chronic. Acute injuries are instantaneous injuries. They happen due to a particular unexpected trauma. A small example of this would be getting hit in the head unexpectedly by a fast-moving ball. It may cause a neck strain due to impact. In a more serious case, it can cause a concussion.

Chronic injuries are long-term injuries. These occur below the surface. These are mostly overuse injuries. Jonah’s condition was the result of overuse without rest. This is why rest is absolutely necessary while playing soccer. The break allows your body time to heal itself and be ready for the next game.

Players also suffer from a lot of head injuries like concussions. Some physicians refer to acupuncture and casual neck and head exercises. Cryotherapy and head massages also help. Again, rest is absolutely important in order to heal.

ACL tears are another debilitating injury players often suffer. After surgery, physiotherapy programs use a combination of cryotherapy and Electrical Stimulation in order to ease the pain. Gradually, the knee starts to regain strength. A full recovery can take from 6-12 months, however. And exercise is required, of course.

Torn hamstrings are another common and very painful injury that players suffer. In a physiotherapy program, the RICE technique is used to treat these after surgery. RICE is short for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The amount of rehabilitation required is based on the seriousness of the injury.

Some other common injuries are:

• Meniscus Tear
• Osteoarthritis
• Ankle and knee sprains
• Jones fracture
• Adductor Strain

All of these, however, can be treated by a proper physiotherapy program. With the right physiotherapy treatment, you’d be out on the field in a very short time. All that is required is rest, exercise and some patience.

How to prevent or reduce any soccer injury?

It is necessary to have a good healthy body that can sustain the strain the sport puts on it. This is one of the reasons that brought about Canadian schools using FIFA 11+ guidelines. FIFA 11+ is a series of exercises for soccer-players aged 14 and above. The exercises are geared towards strengthening the arms, legs and the core of the player’s body. This is fundamental to the body’s capacity to undergo the rigorous exercise that a single game of soccer inflicts on it. The regular the exercise, the better the body’s ability and stamina. It has helped many players to avoid a soccer injury.

Physiotherapy is an excellent way to really get your head in the game when it comes to soccer. Physiotherapy treatment is advised not just after an injury, but also as a way to build strength in the body. Physiotherapy helps enhance the body’s flexibility and balance. It gives it the boost required to use your limbs and muscles to the best of their capabilities without having them give out.

With innovative real-time ultrasound physiotherapy, you can see your muscles contract and relax. This allows you to know which part of the muscle requires training. Ultrasound also helps with lower back pain, allowing you to see in real-time which core muscles require retraining. It is a great tool in the physiotherapy realm.

Where do you go for your physiotherapy treatment?

When Jonah was brought in for the physical check-up, he was immediately referred to one of our expert physiotherapists at Pillars of Wellness in Burlington. He was under a large amount of pain, due to the internal bruising that comes from a non-contact injury. Thankfully, he did not require any surgery, since he had sought help at a fortunate time. His ACL was not torn, but he was suffering from hamstring strains and internal bruising.

He was given cryotherapy and made to do a few physical exercises. Had his pain been more excruciating, he would have undergone E-Stim, conducted by an expert in the clinic. E-Stim allows for short-term but immediate pain relief. Oftentimes, people are unsure where to go for their physiotherapy. It is important to choose a place that knows exactly what the particular injury requires. A multidisciplinary innovative clinic like Pillars of Wellness makes sure that the patient is receiving the optimum treatment for their injury.